LEXINGTON -- A local company has gained national recognition for its work on the Avita Health System tower in Ontario.

Alumni Roofing was awarded honorable mention in the innovation solutions category by the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Avita chose Alumni Roofing's design using a white membrane with the company logo on four sides of the structure. Alumni Roofing prepped the surface by removing the existing shingles, installing a temporary roof, then installing the final membrane roof using technology in difficult conditions.

"We thought our guys did a pretty good job on it," co-owner and vice president Bill Hope said, noting the company finished second out of 40 entries.

The tower on top of the former Lazarus department store was constructed as a screening wall to hide a large air-conditioning unit. The building sat vacant for a number of years before Avita announced its intention to convert the store into a medical facility.

"Knowing the tower on the former Lazarus building had become a local symbol, we felt it was important to offer creative options to Avita," Alumni Roofing co-owner and president Karen Hope said. "We felt this was an opportunity for Avita to use the tower as the major focal point of a multi-million dollar hospital renovation."

Todd Lindeman, vice president of operations for Alumni Roofing, said Avita contacted the Lexington business while considering its options. Lindeman said Avita was deciding whether to invest in the tower and keep it or tear it down.

Alumni Roofing came up with its own idea, which included a white roof to replace the gray shingles.

"They (Avita officials) loved the idea, but they wanted to see what it would look like," Lindecamp said.

Bill Hope used Photoshop to show the company its vision of the project, which got underway in June 2014. Alumni Roofing finished in October 2014.

Lindecamp said the project offered a challenge.

"Normally, you lay a roof from the bottom up," he said. "We laid this roof from the top down. We had to work our way down the roof on eight sides." Lindecamp said employees used roofing materials for the logo, adding it should endure for at least 25 years.

"We wanted to make sure the logo lasted at least as long as the life of the roof," Lindecamp said.

Bill Hope said the logo serves as a billboard for Avita.

Completing the look are LED lights, which illuminate the tower at night, making it visible in Ontario and Mansfield.

"It almost shines out there," Hope said.

Alumni Roofing was started in 1998 by Tim Banks, who sold it to Karen and Bill Hope in 2004. The company does commercial roofing and has 23 employees.

"Probably 60 percent of our work is in Columbus. Our guys are on (Interstate) 71 about every day," Bill Hope said. "We do a good bit of work in Mansfield, too."

Alumni Roofing is currently working on Franklin County Courthouse. It also recently completed the roof on a hangar at the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard.